One by One
by Mini-Chobi
Summary: See the Naruto characters die... one by one...
1. Shino's Death

**Hi everyone! Welcome to "One by One"! If you haven't been scared away by the summary yet, then I sincerely congratulate you! lol. Heh... who wants to see everyone from Naruto die off one by one? I just had to write this though. Such a good idea to me. An alternative to my other, considerably lighter fictions.**

**Enjoy buggy boy's death! (sees angry Shino fangirls) ...or not! Eep!**

**Disclaimer: This applies to ALL CHAPTERS. I do not own Naruto, however much I wish I did.**

* * *

Shino knew it would happen to everyone, at some time or other, but he didn't imagine it would happen to him today, in this particular way. He never dreamed that he would die so young, the reason of his death rather embarrassing even. 

Shino sat down, leaning against a tree. Reaching a bloody hand towards his cracked bug container, he opened it and released the last of the destruction bugs. He used to love them. He felt special with them. Now, he hated the goddamn bugs.

As he looked down at his own body, Shino was feeling slightly sick. His torso was ripped and slashed, blood gushing out of the wounds. His legs were, if possible, even worse than his torso. His left leg from the knee down was gone, the right leg injured beyond recognition. His arms felt like dead weights, his clothes stained a bright crimson, soaked in his own blood and was covered in dirt, insect carcasses, and God knows what else.

The bug-master raised his hand once again, wincing, and took off his blood-stained tinted lenses. The right side was completely shattered, and the left side had blood caked around it. Shino sighed as he remembered what it was like.

He was on an individual mission, and things were going fine. He was just returning to Konoha when suddenly, some boulder nin jumped out in front of him and started attacking. Instinctivly, Shino had fought back, using his bugs. Big mistake. As soon as he released them, his bugs went pyscho and started attacking _him_ instead of the opponent.

There was really no logical explanation as to why. If his bugs had not lost their minds, then Shino would most probably be still alive and well, walking stoicly back towards Konoha like he always would.

Silent tears rolled down Shino's face, half from physical pain, and half from emotional pain.His tears made a small trail that washed away a small portion of the blood and dirt on his face. No more father. No more Kurenai-sensei. No more Hinata. No more Konoha. No more... Shino hated to admit that he missed the dog-boy. No more Kiba, either. Mostly, no more life.

It was getting harder to breathe now, and Shino knew that the slack grip he had on life was loosening even more. He closed his eyes, and breathed his last breathe.

He had let go on life.

* * *

**Shino's death was rather short, huh? I've always wondered how it would be if the Aburame's bugs went pyscho and killed them. Well, here's the answer.**

**R&R! **

**Oh, there's a pattern as to how the people in my story will die. Read a few more chapters and you might find out. **

**There will occasionally be a short chapter that IS NOT a death. Those are random, and tell you how people are accepting the deaths of their teammates and friends and teachers. **


	2. Shino's Found

**Ok, I admit. If it were up to me to make the 'favourite four' Jounin, one of them would definetly NOT be Gai. It would be GENMA! I love Genma! He's so cool and sexy!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

About a week later after the catastrophe, four of our very own heros chanced upon the gory sight. 

Tsunade had, for some odd, unexplainable reason, allowed our favourite four Jounin to take a one month break. Slightly suspicious, but glad for the time off, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai had decided to make the best of this month and tour around the countries -as tourists, not ninjas. But too bad. Kakashi was too well known to hope no-one would notice them as the ninjas they were.

So they got passes (umm... threatened the pass-issuing people with the Sharingan, second-hand smoke, Taijutsu and Genjutsu more like) and were now walking along happily. Gai and Asuma were chattering away about their prize students, Lee and Shikamaru, while an amused Kurenai listened to them. All the while thinking that Hinata, Shino and Kiba (and Akamaru too) were still better. Kakashi, of-course, had his nose buried in one of his Icha Icha books.

"Against my will, Lee has been opening one more chakra gate..." Gai was ranting. "Although this does make him much, much stronger. I'm afraid for him, seriously! What if his youthful flame got extinguished? The world would most probably stop and weep for Rock Lee!"

A cough that was half a concealed laugh came from the front. Gai turned to see Kakashi, whos shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. Seeing that Gai was about to rant about youth to Kakashi, (and knowing that Kakashi would say something along the lines of, 'Did you say something?') Asuma began to talk, drawing Gai's attention away from Kakashi.

"Shikamaru's made another shadow jutsu... what's this one called again? The Shadow Merge or something? It allows him to merge with his own shadow... takes the phrase 'silent as a shadow' up to a whole new level, doesn't it, eh?" Asuma said, grinning. "Seriously... at this rate, Shikamaru should be made Hokage or something."

"More like Kagekage," joked Kurenai. (1)

Asuma laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess so...umph!"

Asuma was cut short as he bumped into Kakashi. "Hey... why'd you stop?" he asked jokingly, thinking Kakashi had stopped just to make Asuma bump into him and be humiliated. However, as he noticed Kakashi's visible eye narrowing, his brow furrowed, Asuma knew something was wrong.

"Huh?" asked Gai. "My eternal rival... are you alright?"

Kakashi sniffed the air, after a slight pause, they saw Kakashi's eyes widen again.

"Decay..." he muttered quietly.

"What? You smell decomposition?" asked Kurenai.

With a swift nod, Kakashi stowed his book away and began walking again, slightly faster this time, but in a different direction. Asuma grabbed his arm.

Kakashi turned back, annoyed. "Nani, Asuma!"

Asuma looked slightly exasperated.

"This is a forest, Kakashi," he explained. "Decomposition is everywhere! That _stump_ over there is decaying!"

Kakashi shook his head. "No... this is different. Trust me."

The three other Jounin looked doubtful. Was Kakashi just going crazy again, or was there really something wrong? Knowing Kakashi a bit more personally than most people, they knew both options had equal chances of being the case.

Kurenai, Gai and Asuma looked at one another. Asuma shrugged. It shouldn't take long if Kakashi was just going crazy again. If there really was a problem, then it should be handled quickly -and who else was as suitable as them for the job?

Releasing Kakashi's arm, Asuma drew out a kunai instead.

"Lead the way," he said, making a mark on the tree they were standing by.

As Kakashi leapt away, Gai and Kurenai looked hesitantly at Asuma before following the silver haired Jounin. Asuma brought up the rear, marking trees every few seconds. Ninja speed made everything seem so close, yet if you were a bystander, you would notice them as much as you would notice a humming bird flying behind you. But if they went off the path, they would obviously need to get back on it. They could all tell that although Asuma's tree-marking was constant, the marked trees were around twenty metres away from each other.

After a few moments, Kakashi began to slow down, and the other Jounin picked up the foul scent Kakashi's sensitive nose had caught on to long before theirs. Kurenai's eyes widened.

"H-human decay!" she whispered hoarsely.

"Yes. Someone died here..." said Kakashi. "I wanted to see who... the scent underneath the decay seems rather familiar."

"...you can smell other PEOPLE?" asked Gai. "Wow... that's another point for you, my rival."

"Faintly, and rarely," replied Kakashi. "Err... this time, I summoned Pakkun before we came and hid him in my backpack. That's why it's not fully zipped. I picked up the decaying scent, but Pakkun caught on to the scent underneath it, and nudged me.

"When I concentrated a bit more, I realized that the scent was rather familiar." Kakashi continued to talk. "This smell... I can't quite place it... it's... augh... the scent of the decomposition is too strong..."

Finally, Kakashi slowed to a complete stop. He looked around, sniffed, wrinkled his nose and turned towards the right. He pointed at a tree about 10 metres away, and said one word. "There."

The three other companions looked toward the direction Kakashi pointed at. They saw a lot of dried blood, and a of cloud flies. Asuma marked another tree, and Kurenai took out a bottle of bug spray. She sprayed it on herself, then Gai (since he was the closest) then Asuma, and finally Kakashi. She stowed it away, and followed the bug-sprayed males towards the cloud of bugs.

When they walked around to the other side of the tree, the flies flew off. Wow... was that bug spray really that good?

Kakashi stopped as he saw the carcass. His eyes widened as he saw what lay beside the dead body. Quickly, he moved over to block Kurenai's sight.

"Kakashi! What the...!" exclaimed Kurenai.

"Uh... this is... um... inappropriate!" squeaked Kakashi.

"How? You, Asuma and Gai are seeing it!" countered Kurenai, shifting around. Sadly for her, Kakashi was still blocking her view.

"This is... not suitable for women!" Asuma said. He too, recognised the body, and was helping Kakashi stop the ever-so-stubborn Kurenai from getting a glimpse of the decaying body.

"What he said!" Kakashi was hopping around blocking Kurenai's view as well.

"IT WILL EXTINGUISH YOUR YOUTHFUL FLAME!" screamed Gai. He just has to tell everything in 'youthful language' doesnt he?

"Sexists!" fired Kurenai, glaring at the smoking and masked Jounin. She turned to Gai. "Youthist!"

Kurenai drew out two kunai, and held them to Kakashi and Asuma's backs. She poked the point through their vests.

"Let me see, or get injured," she said.

"Kurenai, please! Listen-"

"Now, Kakashi!"

"No, really, Kurenai-"

"Be quiet, Asuma!"

"But... but your youthfullness-!"

"You too, Gai!"

"Close your eyes, now, Kurenai, or be unconcious." Asuma said calmly. "It's the same either way. The difference is easy, or force."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed, a quizzical expression on her face. "What do you mean? I'm posing quite a threat to you right now with me pointing a kunai at your spinal cord."

Asuma held up his hand. He was still holding the kunai he had used to mark the trees.

Cursing silently, and knowing that she would never hurt the two men at the blade anyway, but that Asuma would indeed probably knock her out, Kurenai withdrew the daggers and closed her eyes.

"Alright," she said. "My eyes are closed. Could you at least tell me, if it's so gory I can't look at it?"

Gai looked at the dead body sadly.

"It's not that the sight is unsettling, although it is," he said, dropping, for once, the youth talks. "It's... who it is."

Kurenai raised her eyebrows. "Who is it?"

The three male Jounin exchanged glances before Kakashi spoke up.

"Aburame Shino."

Kurenai's eyelids flew open. Shino? She looked at the dead body in front of her. That's... Shino? No way! Shino wasn't... couldn't be...

But as Kurenai examined the body, she noticed the long, knee-length, high collared white jacket that was still recognisable even though it was torn, ripped, slashed and dyed crimson at parts. The bug container beside him was empty, but smeared in dried, caked blood. The sunglasses that rested on his limp hand were broken, bent and shattered.

She didn't need Gai striking a pressure point on her back to make her faint. A milisecond before Gai's hand touched her clothes, Kurenai collasped onto the ground, unable to believe that one of her best students was dead.

* * *

**OK, here's the system. I've decided that each character will have 3 chapters. Regardless of what I've said in my previous chapter. So the chapters will be...**

**Chapter One: The Death  
Chapter Two: The Find  
Chapter Three: The Funeral**

**And then we move onto the next character, ok? Read and Review, please, everyone! Reviews make me so happy!**

**If there are any grammar/spelling mistakes... excuse it!**

**(1) Hmmm... you probably don't get the joke here. Kage means shadow, and since Shikamaru works with shadows all the time, instead of being called the Fire Shadow, which is Hokage, Kurenai reckons he should be the Kagekage. The Shadow shadow... or something. Meh.**


	3. Shino's Funeral

It was raining.

It set the mood very well, Kakashi decided as he pat a sobbing Kurenai on the back. The rain was soft and quiet, not the pitter patter of rainstorms. It reminded him of Shino's soft voice and quiet obseravtions.

Kiba was on his knees in front of Shino's grave, holding Akamaru tightly against him. The usually energetic ninja was staring at his teammate's grave, mouth slightly open, his face blank. As if he couldn't comprehend the situation. Shino, dead? No way...!

Hinata was kneeling beside Kiba, her tears flowing down her face as quietly as the rain. Her expression resembled Kiba's, and she, too, wondered how this could have happened. Shino was quiet, but he also put up a good fight when it was required. How could he have died?

As the rain continued to drench them, the Rookie 9, Team Gai and even the Sand Siblings stood mourning for Shino. After a few moments, Kankurou stepped up.

"Umm..." he said quietly.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Kankurou stared straight at Shino's grave, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he felt all those eyes on him.

"Well," Kankurou continued. "I'd like to say sorry to Shino... you know, about his first Chuunin exam... he didn't get a chance to show the judges his skills, and then there was the whole Konoha massacre thing..." Kankurou paused. "Just... just I'm sorry, Shino... no matter where you are... um... I'm sorry..."

"What a filler apology," Kurenai choked good-heartedly. "I'll say 'that's okay' for Shino...that's okay, Kankurou. Apology accepted."

Kankurou looked slightly relieved and he stepped back beside Gaara.

"Well then, another moment of silence for our good companion Shino and we'll go," said Shikamaru abruptly.

They all nodded, and lowered their heads in rememberance of their and ours favourite bug boy.

Sayonara, Aburame Shino.

* * *

Hi. I've just noticed that I haven't updated this in a long long long time. About a month or more. Sorry about that. So now we're finished with Shino's three chapters, who will be next...?

BTW, Sayonara is good-bye or farewell in Japanese. I think it's spelt like that. I don't know.

XP I suck at funerals but wth...


	4. Chouji's Death

I am SORRY.

SORRY SORRY SORRY.

Its been like... what? 4 **MONTHS** SINCE THE LAST UPDATE.

You can yell, you can flame, you can kick sand in my eyes and I wouldn't blame you.

I AM SO SORRY! I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! I AM ROBBING THE EARTH OF ITS PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS AIR EVERYDAY BY BREATHING! GOMEN-NASAI! I SHOULDN'T STEAL LINES FROM RITSU! I AM WORSE THAN HIM! I DON'T DESERVE TO BE TYPING THIS! GOMEN-NASAAAAAIII!

But you guys (insert cheezy Cheese Whiz commercial drawl here) waaaaaaaaant the chapter, dooon't you? So whether I deserve to type this or not, I'm typin' it!

However, if you're still wanting to kill me, I have the right to send cute chibi ninja assasins to... uhm... DISAPPEAR those who attempt homicide on me.

Yes. That was modified from 'Art of Otaku'. Oh, GOMEN-NASAAAII! I REALLY SHOULDN'T BE RIPPING OFF LINES! GOMEN GOMEN SORRY! GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN-SAAAAAII!

-Dead Shino comes with a very very sharp katana, eye twitching-

ONTO THE CHAPTER! CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE KILLED BY A DEAD PERSON THAT, I, MINI-CHOBI, TECHNICALLY KILLED!

* * *

Chouji groaned, clutching his stomache. 

Shikamaru looked worriedly over the piece of sashimi he was eating.

"Oi, Chouji... you OK?" asked Shika.

"Erm... I think I ate something that disagreed with my stomache."

Ino, who was sitting beside Shikamaru, bit her lip, looking worried. Nervously, she laughed. "First time for everything, eh?"

Chouji grimaced and got up.

"I'm going to the washroom..."

After watching Chouji lumber off to the men's room, Shikamaru and Ino immediatly dropped the food on their chopsticks, grabbed plastic bags out of nowhere and proceeded to try and hurl up the food they had eaten, afraid of some virus in it.

A random Jounin that had passed their table a few moments ago looked back over and sighed.

Women, sure. But now males are being bullimic too? Oh please... and right out in the open too.

-----

Chouji did his buisness, washed his hands and leaned against the sink, not yet bothering to turn off the water tap. What was wrong with wim? (1)

Forgetting about the tap, he walked towards the door, but felt sick again. Redirecting his feet to the stalls, Chouji didn't get more than 5 steps before he collapsed on the floor, poison having worked its way around his body.

Within seconds, the sink overflowed, and miniature waterfalls of icy water splashed down onto the floor. A minute afterwards, Chouji was already soaked and deathly cold.

* * *

(1) _What was wrong with wim?_ It was supposed to be What was wrong with him? But I couldn't find it in my heart to break the 'w'. Heh. I can find it in my heart to kill characters but not to type him? What a weirdo, huh? 

Anyway, you can say that it's short, but One by One is supposed to be consisted of near-drabble-shortness chapters. Short, direct, dark humour and tragedy is the way One by One is constructed. I'll try and get more chapters up shortly. Heh. Short.


	5. Chouji's Found

It had been a while since Chouji was gone, and Shikamaru was starting to worry.

Not Ino. Oh, no. Of-course not, she was in the ladie's rooms fixing herself up for reasons only a woman knows. And when women fix themselves up in the bathroom, especially Ino, Shikamaru had learned that they think about nothing else.

So he was jolted unexpectedly from his inner monolouge when Ino's voice shrieked at maximum volume.

Which was very, very loud.

* * *

How did this happen?

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Some other ninjas where roping off the area now, faces set in a grim expression. Some paramedics had gone rushing in, checking for pulse, breathing, anything.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

The words echoed in varying volumes in Shikamaru and Ino's heads as they watched, horrified and unbelieving, the shinobi lift Chouji off the wet tiles and transferred him to a coffin they already had layed out.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Shikamaru clenched his teeth as he felt Ino wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his shoulder, crying.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

No, you could've tried sending chakra into him. Shock his chakra and blood system into working again. You could've. You really could've, bastards.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

You could've, and you didn't. Bastards. Now he's dead.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Shikamaru sank to his knees, bringing Ino with him.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Yeah right, bastards. You didn't do a thing. You checked for the pulse and vital signs. You made no attempt to revive him. At all. He was at death's door and he could've come back. But you didn't help him wrench away from that door. The door that disguises itself as a beautiful one that leads to a majestic room.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Alas, beauty is only skin deep, no?

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Shikamaru bit his lip as tears overflowed onto his face. The salty liquid plopped into his lap and poured into his mouth.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Yes, Chouji. You were a beautiful person. Most people couldn't see past your appearance. But the ones who could, they were blinded by the innocence and purity within. If we could all be as pure and good as you, Chouji...

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

A butterfly come in through the window just as Chouji was hoisted away.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

It landed on Shikamaru's cheek.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Innocent.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Beautiful.

_We're sorry... we did everything we could._

Pure.


End file.
